Opera Scotland

Russell Smythe studied in London at the Guildhall School of Music and the London Opera Centre. He worked with the major British companies and frequently at continental houses.

He began his career with English Music Theatre in 1976, singing the Ballad Singer in the UK premiere of Britten's Paul Bunyan at Aldeburgh. He also created the title role in Stephen Oliver's Tom Jones. Roles with Welsh National Opera included Monteverdi (Ottone); Britten (Billy Budd), Tchaikovsky (Yeletsky, Eugene Onegin), Mozart (Papageno, Count Almaviva), Rossini (Figaro), Donizetti (Malatesta) and Handel (Garibaldo in Rodelinda). The last two were televised.

For the Royal Opera he sang Ned Keene, Malatesta, Dr Falke and Guglielmo. With English National Opera his roles included Pelléas, Papageno, Figaro, Tarquinius, Andrei Bolkonsky (War and Peace), Guglielmo and Albert (Werther). At Opera North he sang Figaro and Henri in Le roi malgré lui (Chabrier). He also appeared at the Buxton Festival in Donizetti's Torquato Tasso (title role) and the English Bach Festival as Oreste (Iphigénie en Tauride).

Appearances in Scotland began with Papageno (a visit to Glasgow by WNO). He worked with Scottish Opera as Figaro, Falke, Eugene Onegin, Balstrode and Peter in Hansel and Gretel.